Outrage from Trent University students and Peterborough residents is growing in response to Mayor Jeff Leal’s use of a racial slur — one the NAACP calls “one of the most offensive words in history” — during a guest lecture at Trent University almost three weeks ago.

Leal was speaking to students of a business administration class on the evening of March 19 when he veered off the topic of managerial skills and began talking about Lyndon B. Johnson, who was U.S. president from 1963 to 1969.

Although the Texas-born Democrat oversaw the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Johnson was also known for regularly using the n-word throughout his political career.

In a recording of Leal’s lecture made by a student and published by Trent University’s independent student newspaper Arthur, the mayor said “Lyndon Johnson was an F.D.R. New Dealer. He came out of the hills of Texas. He used this language that you would never use today, and he talked about poor n*****s and Mexicans that he taught Sunday school to.”

According to a story by Arthur’s Evan Robins, several students spoke to instructor Steven Girardi the week after the lecture to express their discomfort with Leal’s comments. Girardi later emailed an apology to the class and, according to Trent University and the mayor’s office, Leal also later delivered a written apology to the class.

However, members of the public were unaware of the mayor’s comments until Tuesday morning (April 8), when the mayor’s office issued a statement and apology from Leal. The statement did not reference the racial slur used, but Leal claimed that he used a “quote” from Johnson — which the audio recording shows is not the case.

“During a recent guest lecture at Trent University, I quoted a historical remark attributed to former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson from his time as a congressman in the 1930s,” Leal states. “In doing so, the quote that I used included a racial slur that is deeply offensive and hurtful.”

“I sincerely apologize,” Mayor Leal continued. “Regardless of the context or intent, using that word was wrong. I recognize the pain it carries and the responsibility I have to speak with care and respect. I apologize to Trent students and faculty, to Trent University, and to my community.”

“I believe in building a welcoming and inclusive community. I did not contribute to the betterment of my community when I used that quote – when I said those words. I am committed to listening, learning, and doing better.”

Also on Tuesday, Trent University released a statement in response to the incident, again not referencing the racial slur the mayor used.

“The University acknowledges that it is unacceptable to use racist language, regardless of context. We affirm that the University prohibits all forms of discrimination, harassment, racism and hate as per our policies. We apologize for the harm this caused to our students and recognize that words (racial slurs) can have lasting impacts on racialized students.”

“In an effort to ensure that such an occurrence is not repeated, the University will extend our equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-Black racism training to invited speakers. We will confirm that invited speakers are informed of our policies and joint responsibility to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment free from all forms of racism and hate.”

On Wednesday, the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA) released a statement about the incident, announcing that it has filed a complaint to the Peterborough Integrity Commissioner.

In its statement, the TSCA calls on Trent University to provide assurance the mayor will not be invited back to campus, ensure a BIPOC member of Trent staff conducts DEI and Anti-Black racism training for guest speakers, and guarantee that future guest lecturers are properly screened and their content is reviewed before being presented to students.

The statement also calls on the City of Peterborough to conduct a review from the city’s integrity commissioner on the mayor’s conduct as per council’s code of conduct, mandate all city councillors and city staff to receive anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion training, and review and amend the city’s 2023-2050 strategic plan to include anti-racism and race relations as a strategic priority.

The TCSA also announced it will be hosting a sit-in at City Hall at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 28.

“We invite Trent students and Peterborough community members to join us. We urge Peterborough residents to consider the values of the people representing them. Individuals who spread hate do not deserve to hold political power.”

The TSCA also encouarged “anyone wishing to express their dissent” to contact the mayor’s office at 705-742-7777 ext. 1870 or to email cityptbo@peterborough.ca.

As for the reaction of city councillors to Mayor Leal’s comments, councillor Joy Lachica shared a statement with kawarthaNOW.

“It’s unconscionable that this choice was made,” Lachica said, referring to the mayor’s comments. “I’m sickened that we are here responding to such an inexcusable affront.”

“In my term as an elected representative of the City of Peterborough, I have spoken to and made motions about the need to scaffold the crucial anti-racism and equity work we need to build. This call to equity is reflected in our council and regionally endorsed community safety and well-being plan. I wish to express my deepest sorrow, regret and solidarity to each and every student and community member impacted far and wide.”

City councillor Alex Bierk also provided a statement to kawarthaNOW.

“I have not spoken with the mayor, but I am interested to understand what meaningful action will be taken in response to this incident,” Bierk said. “As a city councillor, I find the mayor’s use of a racial slur inexcusable and deeply harmful — it reflects extremely poor judgment. This language has no place in our city — in any context. I stand with those who have been hurt by this incident and fully support the calls for accountability.”

News about the mayor’s comments is also circulating on social media, with several people calling for Leal’s resignation.

“It’s not just that he said it,” writes one person. “It’s that he didn’t know not to say it.”

This story has been updated to correct the surname of Steven Girardi.

Peterborough’s new waterfront Canadian Canoe Museum has received even more national recognition, along with the local architectural firm responsible for the museum’s design.

The museum has been featured on the cover of April’s Canadian Architect, one of the most respected design publications in the country, with the magazine also recognizing the work of Peterborough-based Unity Design Studio (formerly Lett Architects Inc.).

Construction of the new facility began in late 2021, but faced delays due to the impact of the pandemic on the construction industry, including supply chains and material and labour shortages. The museum opened its doors two-and-a-half years later, in May 2024.

“On the Canadian Canoe Museum project, Unity faced a challenging set of conditions: a constrained budget, a site different than the one they had initially designed for, and a compressed timeframe for construction,” writes Javier Zeller, an architect working in Toronto with Diamond Schmitt Architects, in the Canadian Architect story.

“Unity nonetheless delivered a much better building than would have been expected in the circumstances they faced. With a restrained palette of materials and controlled spatial sequence, Unity Architects has created a place that connects the visitor to the artifacts through material and movement.”

Designed to reflect the form and spirit of the canoe, the two-storey 65,000-square-foot building features mass timber construction and a warm, natural palette that connects visitors to the surrounding land and water. A 17,000-square-foot exhibition hall anchors the experience, alongside spaces for learning, programming, and community engagement.

“We knew from the beginning this had to be more than just a place to display canoes,” says Unity design principal Michael Gallant in a media release. “It needed to reflect their meaning-connection, movement, storytelling — and invite people to experience those values firsthand.”

“Constraints like a tight site and floodplain restrictions didn’t limit the design — they focused it. They pushed us to think vertically, to create a procession, and to use every inch of the building to celebrate the canoe and its connection to water.”

Unity Design Studio has a longstanding relationship with the Canadian Canoe Museum, the release states, adding “designing its new home has been a true honour.”

For the design and building of the new facility, The Canadian Canoe Museum took an integrated project delivery (IPD) approach.

Unlike traditional design and construction delivery methods, IPD is a collaborative approach where all project stakeholders are brought on board at the very beginning of the project, sign a multi-party contract, and share the responsibility for the project — including the financial risk.

“From site selection to construction, we were walking the path with the client, not just for them,” says Unity managing principal Bill Lett. “That level of trust and shared purpose shaped every decision and brought out the best in everyone involved. With trades, architects, and clients all in one room, ideas flowed, egos took a back seat, and solutions came from every corner of the team. Integrated project delivery wasn’t just a method, it was a mindset.”

The Canadian Architect coverage is only the latest recognition of The Canadian Canoe Museum. In March, the museum was named in TIME magazine’s list of the world’s greatest places to visit in 2025 — and the only Canadian destination on the list.

That recognition came just two months after the museum was mentioned in a similar list published by the New York Times, and a year after the museum was named one of the Best Cultural Spots on National Geographic’s Best of the World list.

For all their differences both politically and personally, all the Peterborough candidates in the federal election agree on one thing — the April 28 vote is the most consequential in recent memory.

Proof of that was clear on Tuesday night (April 8) as close to 350 people jammed the chapel at Lakefield College School for the first face-to-face showdown between the four major party candidates for the Peterborough riding: Conservative incumbent Michelle Ferreri, Liberal challenger Emma Harrison, NDP hopeful Heather Ray, and Green Party candidate Jazmine Raine.

Hosted by the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Peterborough & The Kawarthas Home Builders Association and the Central Lakes Association of Realtors and moderated by chamber vice-president Joel Wiebe, the event also gave two other invited candidates — Jami-Leigh McMaster of the People’s Party of Canada and Matthew Grove of the Christian Heritage Party of Canada — time for brief introductory statements, although they were not part of the debate.

After each major party candidate made an opening statement, Wiebe asked them questions covering a wide range of topics, ranging from their respective party’s plan to reduce home construction costs, to what initiatives and policies they propose to enhance emergency preparedness, to the support of refugees looking for safe haven in Canada, in particular here in Peterborough.

However, in light of recent unsettling events in the form of the Trump administration-initiated trade war with Canada, the candidates’ views on what Canada should do to minimize trade disruption with the United States perked up the most ears.

For her part, Harrison touted “the experience and integrity” of Prime Minister Mark Carney as being what’s needed during this tumultuous time.

“The work he’s doing now is proving that,” she said. “He’s sitting down with the provinces and breaking down interprovincial trade barriers. That’s crucial to moving things forward because we struggle as 13 different economies. We need one.”

Ferreri, meanwhile, pointed to the Conservatives’ plan to introduce a Keep Canadians Working Fund to protect workers from the effects of tariffs, noting “It’s targeted, timely, and temporary.”

“We will also renegotiate CUSMA (The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement), strengthening our sovereignty, and redirecting trade revenue to the military and tax cuts. We’re also offering no tax on Canadian-made cars.”

“Long-term though, we have to develop our resources. We should have never been put in this position of weakness and vulnerability. We have everything they (the United States) need. We have everything the world needs, but the Liberals and the NDP want to keep that energy in the ground. It’s Bill C-69. This is an anti-pipeline bill. If they (the Liberals) keep it, we can’t build the resources. We can’t get the money to be independent and sovereign.”

In her response, Ray took aim at past and current Conservative and Liberal governments.

“We put too many eggs in one basket — a basket that we thought we could trust but a basket that’s no longer working out for us,” she said, adding “It’s time to take our eggs home and put them in own baskets.”

“That’s we (the NDP) are going to do with a Build Canadian Buy Canadian plan. We’re going to make sure affordability is top of mind so we can get through this crisis together.”

Saying the Green Party “differs a little bit here,” Raine noted their party is pushing for the closure of “loopholes for large corporations to reinvest $50 billion back into our economy.”

“Yes, we can invest in our own resources, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to wind up in the Arctic,” Raine said.

“There are so many opportunities to make radical changes through important tax reform that would only impact everybody in this room in a positive way.”

Another question, which came from an audience member, asked each candidate to detail their number one priority for Peterborough.

“The priority that I’m delivering to Ottawa is the priority you bring me,” pledged Ray. “Right now, what you are telling me, is it is affordability. That’s the number one thing I’m being told. People are struggling to pay their bills.”

“Something we learned in environmental resource management is we can’t pay for things that help the environment until we have our own economy settled. We need to have money for ourselves before we can think of the environment. That’s the same for a lot of things. We need to take care of ourselves first before we can get involved in politics. We need to take care of ourselves first before we can start working. My goal is to make sure Peterborough is always at the top of that priority pile.”

Raine, meanwhile, offered two priorities: electoral reform and tax reform.

“We need to move away from the two-party system we’ve been stuck in,” they said.

“We’re paying a lot of taxes. We’re not seeing a lot of returns. We don’t feel like there’s a lot of accountability for (how) our taxes are being spent and, because our electoral system is so broken, there’s not really anything we can do about it. Who’s in office is who’s in office. We feel very disconnected and disenchanted from our political representatives.”

For Harrison, affordability tops the list.

“We need deeply affordable housing in Peterborough for students, seniors, and for the most vulnerable,” she said.

“What I hear from the most vulnerable is we also need to include wrap-around supports. It’s not enough to build houses. We need to make sure those houses are appropriate for the people who will be living in them, whether that is creating more space for their wheelchairs or needing help with a PSW.”

In her response, Ferreri went on the offensive.

“You are a reflection of what we’re seeing at the doors,” she said. “It is fatigue. It is anxiety. It is mistrust. It is overwhelmed.”

“The biggest thing that links all of that is a lack of leadership. We do not have a prime minister who has united us. We have a prime minister who has divided us. We have to restore hope, unity, and trust. We will implement an accountability bill that will ensure people are not using offshore bank accounts to escape taxes and restore accountability, which will restore affordability.”

A lot of people don’t feel informed about politics. That’s not because they don’t care.

In their closing statements, each candidate made their pitch for election, with Raine urging people to “vote for the change they want to see.”

“A lot of people don’t feel informed about politics,” Raine said. “That’s not because they don’t care. It’s not that they don’t watch the news or read news articles. They don’t believe what we’re telling them. They don’t believe we’re going to do what we say we’re going to do. Half the people that can vote show up at the polls. We don’t trust our representatives at this point.”

“If you want change, it’s the time. We can’t be living in fear. We’re not going to run from the (United) States. We’re not going to run from environmental change. We’re not going to run from making brave choices. I encourage you all to vote bravely.”

Ray, meanwhile, urged people to “vote with your heart.”

“Don’t worry about what’s happening at the national and international level,” she added. “Think about your community at home; the people you want to help and how you want to help them.”

In her summation, Ferreri summarized her party’s platform points, including a 15 per cent income tax cut, investments in the trades, the removal of the GST on home sales, no capital gains on investments in Canada, and a reduction in red tape to get expedite construction.

“I’m asking you to ask one question before you vote on April 28: What has gotten better in the last 10 years?”

The last word went to Harrison, who said her motivation for seeking election lies in her fear “for the future of my children, your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.”

“The job is to work for you, to work with the things you’d like to see, and to have a leader that we are able to work with, and who understands the threats and concerns and problems that we’re facing.”

Tuesday night’s event was the first of back-to-back debates for the candidates. They’ll square off again on Wednesday night (April 9) at All Saints’ Anglican Church in Peterborough.

Hosted by One City Peterborough in partnership with United Way Peterborough and District and the Research for Social Change Lab at Trent University, the debate’s focus will be on issues surrounding housing and homelessness. It begins at 7:30 p.m. and will also be livestreamed on the All Saints’ Anglican Church YouTube channel.

Peterborough residents will also have another chance to hear from the candidates in a more informal setting when the chamber and its same partners for Tuesday night’s debate, along with the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, host “Coffee with the Candidates” from 9 to 10 a.m. next Tuesday (April 15) at the Holiday Inn in downtown Peterborough.

In the meantime, the next two-and-a-half weeks promises to be busy for each election hopeful.

Asked what her schedule looks like during the lead-up to April 28, Harrison perhaps said it best for all the candidates — “Go, go, go.”

VIDEO: Peterborough All Candidates Debate April 8th 2025

This story has been updated to include a video of the entire debate as recorded by audience member Chris Potter.